Assistant Dean for Customized Academic Learning (Office of Undergraduate Academic Affairs)

Johns Hopkins University•Baltimore, MD

7d•$120,000 - $140,000

About The Position

Johns Hopkins University invites applications and nominations for a dynamic, visionary and experienced leader to serve as the inaugural Assistant Dean for Customized Academic Learning in the Office of Undergraduate Academic Affairs in the Whiting School of Engineering. The Office of Undergraduate Academic Affairs, located on the beautiful Homewood campus in north Baltimore, Maryland, serves the needs of undergraduates by promoting intellectual exploration and academic excellence. The successful candidate will assume the role at an exciting time in the Whiting School of Engineering, as we prepare to realize the Second Commission on Undergraduate Education (CUE2) recommendation that all undergraduates be afforded the opportunity for a Hopkins Semester (HS), an “optional junior or senior year, semester-long, mentored, immersive experience that will give students the time for a focused, deep, and rigorous exploration of one complex subject or endeavor either inside or outside their major department or program.” The Assistant Dean will promote and advance Customized Academic Learning (CAL), which is the collective term used to encompass group and individual academic work outside of a structured class offering inclusive of the envisioned HS. CAL also includes independent study, independent research, and academic internships undertaken alongside coursework. Several new CAL academic policies and processes designed to better support CAL came into effect for the 2025-2026 academic year. The Assistant Dean will be expected to bring energy and creativity to the role of helping design and implement various recommendations from CUE2 and the CAL Board. The Assistant Dean will serve as an ex-officio member of the WSE CAL Board and will head the Hopkins Semester Office within WSE Undergraduate Academic Affairs to develop, oversee, support, and market the Hopkins Semester (HS) program. Reporting to the Associate Dean for Undergraduate Academic Affairs, the Assistant Dean will be responsible for working with faculty and other stakeholders to bring to life the HS experience. The HS experience is intended to allow students to pursue a full-time, credit-bearing, immersive academic and experiential project of their own design, supported by faculty from the application period through final assessment. The Assistant Dean will administer and guide the establishment of the program, along with appropriate staff support over time. An important role in this area will be to help develop placement sites, university-wide at JHU, in industry, and internationally. The Assistant Dean will serve on the WSE Education Partnership Evaluation Committee (EPEC) and the WSE International/Corporate Committee.

Requirements

Master’s Degree.
Proven ability to lead and manage a robust academic engagement program and its associated policies and procedures.
Supervisory and managerial experience with a diverse workforce where goals are frequently achieved through use of influence rather than direct supervision.
A clear vision for students engaging in independent academic opportunities, either within a semester combined with coursework, or in an immersive, full-time, semester-long experience.
A high level of comfort with information technology and its application to academic processes.
Experience with assessment and its use in shaping policies and procedures.
Demonstrated ability to create and manage programs to serve students in a diverse and multicultural environment.
Knowledge of management techniques that improve client services are all important factors in the selection of the assistant dean.
Additional education may substitute for required experience, and additional related experience may substitute for required education beyond a high school diploma/graduation equivalent, to the extent permitted by the JHU equivalency formula.

Nice To Haves

Ph.D. preferred.
Familiarity and experience with the academic environment as a faculty member, administrator, or advisor is critical.
Demonstrate a vision of effective service, possess strong leadership, management and supervisory skills.
Have experience in providing academic services to students and faculty.
Demonstrated experience and commitment to the development of a continuous learning and service culture is required.
Experience with the creation and launch of service delivery programs in a highly decentralized environment is important.

Responsibilities

Help define, implement and enforce academic policies and practices.
Give support to students and faculty navigating CAL and HS learning opportunities.
Develop and maintain strong, collaborative working relationships with faculty and academic departments in the Whiting School of Engineering.
Work closely and collaboratively with other academic offices and committees, including the Office of the University Registrar, the Homewood Records office, Student Enrollment and Account Management, Undergraduate Admissions, the Office of Pre-professional Advising, the Life Design team, the Global Education Office, and University Information Systems.
May serve on a number of ad hoc and standing committees that address a variety of program or student needs and that support collaborative work with colleagues from partner offices.
Collaborate closely with the Associate Dean for Undergraduate Academic Affairs to ensure that CAL, ePortfolio assessment, and Foundational Abilities requirement completion are well supported within the students’ academic programs.
With the CAL Board will establish and conduct processes for the routine assessment and revision of the Hopkins Semester and CAL policies, so that our processes can be adjusted to best meet the needs of our students and faculty.
Ensure that clear guidelines are in place for HS application, review, and advising.
Work collaboratively with academic departments and Life Design to source industry and international placements for students seeking to pursue HS opportunities.
Work to maintain relationships and establish pipelines to opportunities at such external partners suitable for students with diverse engineering-related professional interests.
Will partner with Life Design regarding the required enrollment in a one-credit online course to reflect on their experiences as described in this requirement:
All students participating in a HS will be required to enroll in a one-credit online course, developed by CLE and the Life Design Laboratory.
This course will provide a mechanism for students to reflect on their HS experience, develop students’ project management skills, and provide support for productive engagement in in-depth, independent work.
Will organize and deliver a Hopkins Semester mini-symposium following each semester, comprised of students who recently completed their Hopkins Semester experiences.
Will also work with academic departments regarding the positioning of the Hopkins Semester in their 4-year program plan. Each department has created at least one sample schedule for each of their majors that details a recommended course sequence for students who wish to undertake a Hopkins Semester. This sample schedule assumes the student has taken no prior college-level coursework and is published in the university catalogue and the departmental advising manual.
The WSE Customized Academic Learning Board has been established. This board, chaired by the Vice Dean for Undergraduate Education and comprised of six faculty with staggered two-year terms appointed from amongst the WSE departments, articulates and oversees the academic aspects of CAL and HS going forward in perpetuity.
Will serve as an ex-officio member of this board.
Will meet regularly with this board to review applications for HS experiences from WSE students and routinely assist the Hopkins Semester Office in program and policy reviews.
Will work with the board, the Associate Dean for Undergraduate Academic Affairs, and the WSE Vice Dean of Undergraduate Education to establish procedures for vetting Hopkins Semester proposals and mechanisms for engaging academic departments in Hopkins Semester proposal reviews and mentoring.
The board and the Hopkins Semester Office will work closely with the Office of Undergraduate Academic Affairs to maintain a Hopkins Semester Student/Faculty Handbook website.